Abstract

Introduction

Stomach cancer is the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer in Western Africa, accounting for 2.9% of all cancers. It is also the seventh leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, accounting for 3.8% of the total. In 2012, there were about 5 204 new cases and 4 932 deaths due to stomach cancer (GLOBOCAN 2012). The aim of this study is to estimate the incidence and determine the epidemiological characteristics of stomach cancer in Niger.

Methods

This is a retrospective study of stomach cancer cases, reported between 1992 and 2009 to the Niger Cancer Registry, established in 1992, in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Abdou Moumouni University in Niamey.

Results

There were 174 cases diagnosed with stomach cancer in Niger (73% of cases in Niamey), accounting for 2.5% of all cancers reported during 1992-2009. During this period, stomach cancer was the 13th most common cancer and the ninth leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. In 2009, the incidence of stomach cancer was 1.2 new cases per 100 000 people and the number of deaths was 1.8 per 1 000 000 people. Nearly 63% of the cases were men with a male-female ratio of 1.7. The average age at diagnosis of stomach cancer was 48 ± 16.6 years (range 5-85 years). The risk of developing stomach cancer is strongly related to age. More than three-quarters (80.5%) of people diagnosed with the disease were aged 35 years and over, with 65.5% of new cancer cases occurring among those aged 35-64 years. Most stomach cancers were adenocarcinomas. The risk of developing stomach cancer varied among various ethnic groups. Djerma-Sonrai was more likely to develop stomach cancer (54.8%) than any other ethnic groups. Among the cases for whom the outcome was known, 15.5% died during the study period, accounting for 3% of all cancer deaths in Niger.

Conclusion

Stomach cancer remains an important public health issue. Early diagnosis is difficult because the disease is asymptomatic in its early stages.